Branding is a marriage between message and design. We explain branding to our clients using its simplest definition; Branding is about the words and images used to represent your company. Your brand is the way people recognize you. Your message needs to be creatively designed, memorable and relevant to your business. Whether we are working with a large corporation or a small business, graphic design can make or break a branding campaign.

We always start with a few simple steps before beginning design work. The more visual imagery and information we can gather from the client, the easier it is for our design team to hit the mark.

First, we work with the client to understand their company. For branding to be effective, the initial step is to determine the message the brand will represent. We ask a series of questions to understand the business or product being offered.

Does the client have any special attributes?

What are they known for?

Do they have any visuals that they are currently using to represent the brand?

As a marketer, it’s crucial to understand how consumers view the company. Once we've compiled the basic information and have a strong understanding of the client's business, it’s time to begin the design work.

Effective Graphic Design
We have two ground rules that we ask our designers to follow when working on a client’s materials:

Be mindful of how the message or image will be used.
Consistency is the key to branding. In order for a campaign to be effective, the message and image will appear in all of the marketing materials. As a graphic designer, the challenge is to create an image that will work in a variety of applications, from a Facebook page, to a print ad or billboard.

Design to create a response.
A good design will create an emotional response and inspire people to act. With so much information available today, it’s getting harder to connect with people on an emotional level. Whether it’s a simple tag line or a complex visual image, eliciting an emotional response is key.

Designing Great Branding Materials
Our designer's primary goal when developing branding materials is to create an identity for the client. Any branding image that you create is literally the face of the company. It needs to clearly convey the story of what the company does, elicit an emotional response, and move the consumer to act. The way you approach the design can make or break your brand. Here are four tips for creating an effective brand image:

Use color judiciously.
Color draws the eye. Overuse of color quickly becomes distracting. Start by selecting two or three complimentary colors. Choose colors that will translate well to a variety of media.

Use negative space.
The white space is important. The effective use of space can help to organize information across the page.

Details can make a design.
Typography is an important element that can carry a brand. Along with color, typography can make or break a design.

Simplicity.
While complex designs are more fun for designers, simplicity is more effective. Remember, you’re trying to elicit an emotional response, “Keep it Simple.”

When undertaking a branding campaign for a large corporation or a small business, graphic design can make or break the campaign. Having a clear understanding of the goals and message of the client is a start. Putting it all together with a concise message and a strong image can be the difference between success and failure.
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Have something you need designed? Need to polish your brand? Check out some of our services and send us a note, we can't wait to meet you!